


Independence Day

by lovehugsandcandy



Category: Ride or Die (Visual Novel)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-15
Updated: 2019-05-15
Packaged: 2020-03-06 01:52:00
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,416
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18841213
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lovehugsandcandy/pseuds/lovehugsandcandy
Summary: Ellie and Colt are free from the horrors of the past, but what of the future?





	Independence Day

At least her eyes had adjusted enough to make out the path; the moon wasn’t bright enough to light her way and she had lost track of what was actual path and what Colt had improvised, pushing through bushes and over tree roots as he led her up the hill. 

“Hey, why am I holding the backpack still?” They had left their helmets and jackets with the bike, the warm summer air plenty comfortable, even as darkness fell.

He dropped her hand and looked over his shoulder, rolling his eyes. “Would you rather I carry the bag, your highness?”

She stopped, watching him trudge on. With a wide grin, she ignored his confused “Ellie?” and ran forward, leaping onto his back with a triumphant cry.

“Aah!” Colt managed to stay upright, barely, and circled his arms around her calves as she wrapped her hands around his shoulders.

She leaned forward, so they were cheek to cheek, laughing. “Well, your highness would like a lift up the hill, thank you very much.”

He kissed her cheek, smiling wide, as she settled on top of his back to enjoy the ride. At least they didn’t have far to go as, just past a turn in the path, over a log, the woods opened up onto a large field. The view wasn’t much; unfortunately, the ocean was behind them, through the trees, but she could see Los Angeles sparkling in the distance.

She hopped down, surveying their spot. “Are you sure we can see it from here?”

“Yes, I’m sure. Now come on! If we miss it, you’re walking home.” He slipped the strap of the backpack off her shoulder, kissing her forehead.

She rolled her eyes, following him to the middle of the grass where he opened the bag and dug around for a bit. “That is no way to treat a queen.”

“Oh, excuse me,” he grabbed a blanket, shaking it out onto the ground. “I would have brought a throne but, you know, it wouldn’t fit on the bike.”

“This will have to do.” Ellie sprawled out, reaching for him. “Come on, come here.”

“One minute, jeez.” He turned back to the bag, digging around as she watched him. She crossed her arms, watching him, feeling incredibly lucky. There had been a time earlier this summer where she wasn’t sure that they both would live, or that she would go to Langston, or that he would be a free man, but it all worked out, amazingly, in the end. After her dad helped them spring a trap for The Brotherhood, they were able to start the slow process of rebuilding. For her, it meant closing out senior year and securing her placement at the summer session at Langston, moving into her dorm on July 8th. For Colt, it meant figuring out what to do with the remnants of Kaneko Auto Body and testifying against Jason and The Brotherhood under immunity.

She smiled to herself, thinking of the last month, after she no longer feared for their lives. It almost like they were any normal couple, happy, carefree; the world was their oyster, markedly different from the circumstances that brought them together. Finally, he emerged from the backpack, clutching a paper sack that she recognized all too well. “Kelso’s! Oh my God, tell me you got fries!”

“I got fries.” He sat down next to her. “For me.”

She leaned over him, falling into his lap to get at the bag. “Gimme…”

“Oh, fine, fine.” He laughed, a full belly laugh that Ellie had the privilege of heading only a few times. He had softened, slightly, especially when it was only the two of them; he would never be the most cheerful individual, but the horrors of the last few months had started to thaw. 

Ellie leaned against his shoulder, staring at the sky, chewing slowly. “How much longer?”

“Probably a few more minutes.” He turned his head, dropping a kiss on her forehead, eyes considering her before he spoke again. “Are you excited for school?”

“Yeah, you know that. I am. It’s finally feeling real. I started packing and everything.” She sat up straight to look at him. “You gonna miss me?”

“No, not at all. Why would I miss ingrates who steal my fries and demand piggy-back-rides?” 

“You’re so gonna miss me.” She elbowed him, grinning wider, but stopped when he didn’t smile back. In fact, he started to frown, his gaze turning serious.

“Colt?”

He took a breath, looking down. “I have to tell you something.” 

Her heart stopped. She tried to cover the gasp but didn’t know if she succeeded; this was definitely not how she imagined tonight going. She pulled back, edging away from him, angling so was looking over the city and not at him, anywhere but him.

“Wait, what’s wrong?” Colt sounded confused, which irritated her even more.

“What do you mean what’s wrong?!?”

“Ellie?” She felt his hand touch her back, cautiously, 

“Did you seriously bring me here to dump me?” The words came out in a rush, harsh, angry.

When she looked at him again, he was staring at her, mouth agape. “What? To dump you?”

The anger was slowly giving way to sadness.  _Don’t cry._  “You said we needed to talk! That’s prime dumping language!”

“But, that’s not what I said! I said I had to tell you something!”

“Colt, those mean the same thing!” She was willing herself, with all she could, not to cry, She knew that it would be hard, being separated by the entire country, but at least she wanted to try. She thought they could made it work, but apparently she was the only one.

“Urgh! Stop. Look.” He jumped up, stomping over the bag and fishing around again. Finally, he found it, a manila envelope, which he grabbed and, with a deep breath, handed to her. “Look.”

She stared at the envelope, turning it over in her hands before shooting him a confused look.

He rocked back on his heels. “Just look, ok?”

Finally she opened it, carefully opening the flap and sliding the papers out of the envelope. The top one was a one way plane ticket, LAX to Boston, for July 30th. Twenty-six days from now. 

She looked up at him, eyebrows furrowing. “Colt, I leave in four days. What is this?”

He nodded, hands in his pockets. He still hadn’t sat down. “Keep going.”

She looked down again. The next paper was a lease, a two-bedroom in Dorchester, on the south side of Boston. In the same city, but not exactly near her dorm.

“Colt, what? What is this?”

He was biting his lip now. “Keep going.”

The next page, the last one, an acceptance letter from the University of Massachusetts Boston, school of business management, for one Colt Kaneko.

She stared up at him. “Colt?” Her heart was hammering. “Wait…does this mean…”

He still hadn’t sat down on the blanket, was still standing over her, eyes cautious. “If you want….only if you want. There’s nothing really keeping me here, not anymore, and I figured….” He trailed off.

She dropped the papers, barely registering them spilling on the blanket as she leaped up and threw her hands around his neck. He didn’t even have time to react before she was kissing him, soundly, almost knocking him over in her exuberance. 

He stood there until finally the shock faded and he started kissing her back, part kiss, part smile, part laugh, all messy and perfect. Finally, he broke it off to hug her, pulling her in his arms, swinging her around in the dark.

When he put her down again, her cheeks hurt and she had tears, happy tears, in her eyes. “You’re coming to Boston!”

“I guess I’m coming to Boston.”

She couldn’t stop her delighted shriek and pulled him down again, kissing him soundly. She was so happy, so focused on him, that she jumped when the first boom sounded overhead and they both pulled back to look up.

“Whoa….” Ellie stared at the colored lights flying overhead.

Colt pulled her towards him, spinning her so he could wrap an arm around her waist as he pulled her back to his chest. “Told you we could see it from here.”

She looked back to catch his eye, one more smile between them, before she turned to watch the fireworks overhead, feeling like they were actually a celebration for her and Colt, flashing into the night.


End file.
